How to Create Layered Designs in Adobe Illustrator for Laser Cutting

Check out the assembly and final product at:
www.daniellewethington.com/lay...
This video is a long one, but it will take you step by step through a variety of tools and techniques that will help you created the exciting layered look so unique to laser cutting. These are the same techniques I use when creating any illustrations in Adobe Illustrator and will work for creating layered paper/vinyl designs if you're using a vinyl cutter as well. Let me know if you have any questions as I may do a part II video if there are things I missed.

[@cine-maticmaniacs947]

I think this is the only tutorial on the entire youtube which shows the process. thanks!

[@tracymedlin1970]

You can click on view-outline to see any straggler nodes or islands. Quick way of seeing rouge marks

[@phototec]

Great video, here is a tip for you when searching for orphan nodes, change the view mode to OUTLINE, and then when you select all it is easier to see the individual nodes or small gaps in the design.

[@thebalancebetween777]

a quicker way to center all the items to check if they look right after prepping for the laser cutting you can select all the parts and go into your transform tool and choose center and center and get them all aligned in 2 quick moves

[@JP.Alonso]

Very helpful tutorial. I have learned lot of things. THANK YOU!!!

[@JartiKukuh]

i like your voice, i can listen to your tutorial for hours, thanks for the knowledge!!!

[@blueskyjax]

This is exactly what I have been looking for! Thank you so much, your cats are awesome.

[@chaos__emporium]

This is one of the most practical instructional videos I've seen in a long time. Thanks!!

[@neilthornely9713]

This tutorial is literally all of the information on this process I need right now crammed into one video. Perfect, thanks so much.

[@stevemount]

Ive been watching it for the last 24 hours a few times still trying to wrap my head around the layering part! It is a great video

[@DIGIHAMID]

This exactly I've been searching for couple of hours.

[@colettehammons9305]

This tutorial is what I've been searching for the last 6 months! I've waded through so many videos and none of them explained the end part as well as you have. And thank you for not wasting my time with mini tutorials on all the AI tools. I know how to use the program, I just wasn't sure how to get the layers other than offset paths, which don't always give the best outcome. Thank you so very much!!

[@PantheraPress]

I'm glad it was helpful. I try to be quick, so I load in a lot of information which can be hard to beginners, but I'm glad in this case it made it easier for you.

[@Dale_youngblood]

I use CMD Y to switch to outline view to find the little stray points. You can also use shift M and use shape builder to clear out the stray points inside an existing shape.

[@shannonmarie6227]

I do a lot of laser cutting & slowly incorporating in AI so I really appreciate your channel & content!

[@brownvanlife]

can you discuss more about how you are incorporating AI?

[@ps7850]

I like to draw the same way. I agree with it 🙌

[@LaserEngraving911]

Bravo! Just want I needed :)

[@terryholland4064]

Excellent tutorial! When you're cleaning up lines I find if you jump into outline mode it's much easier to spot those random lines that pathfinder loves to create.

[@PantheraPress]

100% - I'm going to have to remember to mention that in my next video. I plan to do one on cleaning up files and troubleshooting open nodes

[@brownvanlife]

I studied printmaking 20 years ago in coillege. this reminds me of a reduction print, only in a reduction print if my memory serves correctly, basically leaves you with barely nothing at the end. This is sort of the digital version of it, only less messy, where you're not dealing with print making ink. I do miss the snapping sound of the brayer and the velvety look of the ink that let you know there was enough ink on the brayer to apply to your plate.

[@eddieolachia5305]

So should I even attempt this with out a drawing tablet? Im thinking about getting one now you mention it what kind do you have

[@PantheraPress]

I make illustrations all the time without a tablet - but they're simpler and geometric usually. For drawing figures, flowers, animals etc. I use a Wacom and would hate to do it without it (though it can be done)- but you don't need to get top of line by any means, the drawing tables all work pretty much equally well and have great responsiveness and sensitivity. I have an Intuos Pro and this one is some years old, but you can easily get a used one on eBay too to make sure you really like using it.

[@eddieolachia5305]

@@PantheraPress I just ordered a huion 16 after watching this so I could try it out. I’m learning illustrator mainly for engraving so this is good, there isn’t a lot of content out there it’s using illustrator for engraving out. It would be nice to see you go through the process of making your design I know you sped up past that part but I’m sure more people like me would be interested

[@PantheraPress]

@@eddieolachia5305 I'm not sure the process of be drawing, even sped up would be very helpful, but I will definitely consider doing a video on engraving with the laser and considerations for that. Do you have a specific question or challenge I should make sure to address?

[@mardisvlogs2605]

Which software you have used to render the actual image which you have used as a thumbnail ?

[@PantheraPress]

For the video? I just use Photoshop to add the text to my process photos because it's fastest. You can see the full project in the blog in the description.

[@softwaresolutions3224]

How would you go about connecting all art to letters? I have a logo in the middle with letters on a circular path around the logo.

[@PantheraPress]

I'd expand the words and then just treat them like any other part of the art. Type > Create Outlines (Without seeing what you're talking about I can only really guess)

[@schoolzz2509]

Link

[@jktechwriter]

I actually didn't mind the cats...

[@Benny.Goldstein]

It's pronounced cricket like the insect (i think)

[@PantheraPress]

Yes I know, I just cannot get myself to accept that and always end up saying Cry-Cut. I usually preface that I'm saying it wrong, but I just cant accept the spelling haha

[@Benny.Goldstein]

We can hear your cat meowing in the background😅

[@PantheraPress]

Yep. Can't control a siamese cat lol and I wasn't going just re-record the whole thing for his sake.

[@misohlavati]

Great video, but please feed your cats next time :D

[@PantheraPress]

If only that helped lol. They just scream because they're siamese

[@elpata5544]

bellisimo video. muchas gracias

[@_desertwalker_]

I hope your making enough money with your art, else giving away all your secrets just undermines what you are doing. People will leech out as much as they can from you to be your competition.

[@brownvanlife]

this is sort of the same way of making color separations for screen printing. its not a secret as this technique has been around for ages. this is a great tutorial for beginners as its not too techy. The important thing to note is you need to master the pen tool if you're not using a tablet. (I speak from the experience of an elder aging millenial graphic designer--I learned corel and then illlustrator in middle school or freshmean year of high school and I'm 42 years old)